1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to concrete products and more particularly to a method for creating an irregular aesthetic surface on a concrete wall by using a irregular surface forming tool to impart the irregular surface on the concrete product.
2. Description of the Related Art
As is well known in the building and construction trade, concrete is extensively utilized as a building material for industrial, commercial and residential applications. Due to its durability, water resistance, and cost economy, concrete has gained wide spread use. With this widespread use, the public is currently demanding variations in color, surface texture and overall appearance of concrete so that the concrete possesses improved aesthetics similar to more conventional and costly surfaces such as stone, mosaic, and terrazzo.
In order to meet this demand, the concrete trade has developed various coloring and surface finishing techniques to enhance the aesthetics of concrete. Examples of such finishing techniques include salt finish, multiple broom finish, form press finish (e.g. stamped concrete), and exposed aggregate finish.
Conventional concrete is typically shaped using a form. In some instances, the form defines an enclosure within which the concrete is poured and hardens, after which time the form may be removed. Conventional concrete generally defines a high slump, and will typically not retain its shape shortly after it is poured. As such, the face form maintains the conventional concrete in the desired shape until the concrete sets up and hardens.
Since the concrete generally fills the space/cavity defined by the form, the resultant concrete structure generally assumes the shape of the cavity defined by the form. In some instances, the front exposed surface of the concrete structure may define a shape that is complimentary to the form. For instance, in the case of a vertical wall, the exposed surface of the wall generally defines a shape that is complimentary to the shape of the face-form which covers the front surface during formation of the wall. In the case of a generally horizontal concrete structure, such as a sidewalk, the exposed surface may not be shaped by the form, since the upper surface thereof typically remains exposed during formation of the concrete structure. Instead, the upper surface may be shaped by a stamp or template that is pressed into the upper surface to define the desired shape.
Although conventional concrete defines a high slump, other forms of concrete are also commonly used, which define a low slump. The low slump of various concrete products allows the concrete to generally retain its shape after it is conveyed onto a base surface. Examples of such concrete include Shotcrete, Gunite, and the like. Since low slump concrete products generally retain their shape after being conveyed onto a base surface, a face form is typically not used.
As noted above, the face form may serve a dual function of retaining conventional concrete while it hardens, while also defining a certain shape or texture to the concrete. However, when a face form is not used, such shapes or surface patterns may not be defined within the concrete products, such as Shotcrete, Gunite or the like.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for method of creating a particular texture or irregular surface in concrete structures formed from Shotcrete, Gunite, or similar concrete materials. Various aspects of the present invention are directed toward addresses this particular need, as will be discussed in more detail below.